Final Fantasy VII
by lovinlife88
Summary: Basically the story of Final Fantasy VII! I hope you all like it :
1. Prologue

It was dim outside; lights flickered on and off in the streets of Midgar. It didn't seem the place to grow flowers. . . Did it?

Aeris Gainsborough was Midgar's only flower girl. She liked it, actually. She didn't mind being different from the other citizens. She wanted to give Midgar a shine, a little touch of something different than oil-running machines and dull courtyards.

She would ask people kindly to buy her flowers.

"Would you like to buy one of my flowers? They're only one Gil a piece." To her surprise, some citizens just walked right passed her, ignored her, and taunted her. Aeris got used to it. She knew people wouldn't be buying her flowers _all _the time, but she still had a wonderful time growing and picking them.

As Aeris was about to walk out of her beautiful home, her mother stopped her in an instant.

"Aeris, haven't you been out enough this week?" she questioned, taking slow steps down the spiral staircase. Aeris gulped and shook her head; her long, thick braid swinging back and forth.

"Mom, I know you're trying to protect me, but I'm not a little girl anymore. Please understand that. I love you, and I know for a fact nothing will happen to me. It's been five months, Mom, and the Turks haven't touched me," Aeris explained. Her mother still had a worried look on her face; feeling and realizing that Aeris was right. She wasn't five anymore, she was a grown woman.

Aeris didn't wait for a reply from her mother. She sprinted down Sector 5 Slums to an old, unused church that seemed like it was abandoned for years.

When Aeris was about ten years old, she discovered this church. In Aeris's world, everything was delightful and if it wasn't, she would make it just that. The church made Aeris feel disappointed. How could anyone leave this church? It was lovely and charming. The painted-glass windows were an excellent touch to the church, so when Aeris was working in her garden, she got light once in awhile. The flowers were bloomed and ready to be picked. It seemed like the perfect day to sell flowers. Aeris had a good feeling not as many people would reject her offer today; maybe two or three, but not as much as normally.

A grin started to spread across Aeris's face as she carefully placed the flowers into her wooden basket. Her green eye's shimmered in sunlight as a thought ran across her mind.

_Can life be any better than this? _

The thought jumped around her mind. No, it _couldn't _be any better than this. Aeris had a wonderful life, and she knew it.

After picking a few dozen flowers, Aeris headed to the main street; where she usually sold her flowers. As she thought, more people came up to her to buy flowers. A few kind people said, "Thank you," and "These are beautiful flowers, young lady," and others didn't say a word, which made Aeris a little uneasy.

_Why sell people flowers if they aren't even going to say thanks or anything polite!_

There was a shop located left of her. She always went there. It was her hangout spot.

It was a Café' shop where Aeris got her seeds to plant the flowers. You probably wouldn't think you would buy plant seeds at a Café', but Aeris did and she became well known at this particular shop.

"Well, nice to see you today, Mr. Vickers!" Aeris said cheerfully, entering his store. Mr. Vickers gave her a warm smile and demanded her to sit down.

Aeris brushed her crimson dress off and sat down on one of the leather stools.

"Well, what do you want today, my dear?" Mr. Vickers asked. Aeris thought to herself for a moment then smiled.

"May I have some ice tea?" Aeris politely replied, folding her hands on the counter. Mr. Vickers gave her a thumbs-up and headed to the mixing supplies. While he was making her beverage, Aeris scooted over to a rack where the flower seeds were. Roses, daisies, you name it! Aeris picked out some sunflower seeds packages and told Mr. Vickers to put it on her bill. He replied with a nod like he always does.

Aeris waited patiently for her ice tea to be ready. She was in absolute no hurry, so she didn't mind.

"Here you are, dear," Mr. Vickers spoke, placing the glass of tea in front of her.

"Thank you."

Aeris savored the delicious tea, which she hadn't had for a long time. It had to have been ten minutes when she was finished.

"How much do I owe you, Mr. Vickers?" Aeris asked, handing the empty glass.

"You know what? It's on me," Mr. Vickers answered.

"No, I can pay. How much?" Aeris questioned. Mr. Vickers told her to say no more and he scooted her out of the store.

The streets looked more packed than ever. People were crowded mostly on the corners.

Aeris walked out onto the sidewalk, her brown boots making a _tap-tap-tap-tap_ every time she took a step. She stopped, held her basket in both her hands, and looked around. A vehicle drove in front of her and after it had disappeared, Aeris walked across the street; ready to sell more flowers.


	2. Chapter 1

The train came to an eager stop. Cloud's head hit the back of the seat he was placed in, his heart pounding. As soon as he saw two men, a woman, and a guy with a gun arm, which his previous arm had been disabled from an accident years ago, jump out of the train, Cloud did exactly the same.

The guy with the gun arm shot a few soldiers that were getting in his way. Cloud surely didn't want to get shot by _that _thing.

Cloud pulled out his Buster Sword, which was his trademark weapon. He was ready for combat. He was always ready.

The guy with the gun arm signaled for Cloud to follow him. Cloud obeyed his orders, and ran as fast as he could after the man.

Cloud stopped as soon as he saw the group he was in.

"Wow! You used to be in SOLDIER? All right! You know, not everyday you find one of those in a group like this! Oh, and the name's Biggs. This guy next to me is Wedge."

"Hey, isn't SOLDIER the enemy here? What's he doing with us in AVALANCHE?" the woman asked, wanting an answer now. Biggs replied, "He was in SOLDIER, Jessie, and he quit. So, didn't catch your name. . ."

"Cloud." Suddenly, the gun-arm guy ran into the area Cloud and the others were in and said, "Hey, man, listen up. You gotta know how this whole thing works. No moving in groups, got it? I explained most of it to you on the train so there ya go. Oh, and my name's Barret." Then he was gone, too. Cloud took a look at what he was entering. The Mako Reactor No.1.

_Ah, shit. It figures I'd get stuck with _these _guys. Hell, I better get paid good._

Cloud entered the first room. It was an entrance, most of all machines and things like that. He followed Barret and the others to the next room.

He found there a locked electronic door, which wouldn't budge unless you had the code.

"First time in a reactor?" Barret asked, waiting for Biggs to open the door.

"No. After all, I did work for Shinra, you know." Barret sighed and said, "The planet is full of Mako energy. People use it everyday."

Biggs punched in the numbers quickly and once it unlocked he said, "Code deciphered." Cloud wanted to know more about these guys, but right now he didn't even care.

"Come on!" Barret shouted. Cloud jogged to the next room which was also locked by a number pass code. This time, Jessie punched in the numbers and said, "Code deciphered."

Cloud was excited for his new mission, but also the tiniest bit worried something might go wrong.

An elevator was straight ahead of them, ready to be used. All five of them shot glances at each other and finally stepped in. Jessie pushed the down button.

"You know, little by little the reactors'll drain out all the life of the planet. That'll be that," Barret clarified. Cloud shrugged and replied, "Not my problem."

"Man, the planet's dyin'!" Barret shot back at him.

"The only thing I care about is finishing this mission before security and the Roboguards come." Cloud quickly said, crossing his arms. There was silence the rest of the way down, which was quite nice.

"Hey, I'm going to stay here and keep guard," Biggs said to Barret. Barret nodded in return.

Barret motioned for Jessie, Wedge and Cloud to follow him.

In front of Cloud was a long staircase, which seemed as if it went on forever. It was freezing, and everything was covered with frost. To the left of him was a machine that was working at a perfect pace.

"Hey, come on! We don't have all day!" Barret shouted up to Cloud. Cloud nearly slipped on one of the steel steps, but luckily, he didn't fall and do something stupid.

There were two pairs of never-ending stairs. As soon as they finally tumbled off the last step, there was an electronic door ahead of them. Running and trying not to slip, Cloud proceeded through the door.

Wedge quickly printed to the other end of this T-shaped passage.

"Almost there," Barret explained, walking forward and turning left before he came to Wedge. Cloud jogged after him as Jessie wondered if he was trustworthy.

Further on in the next area. were pipes and cables that were broken, but they could easily hop over them. Barret, of course, took the lead and repeated many times to be careful. Jessie went next, who slipped, but still made it across the big gap. Cloud was next. He didn't want to fall because one, he didn't want to have a broken leg on the first mission and two, he didn't want to look like a coward. Gratefully, he made the jump the first time without slipping on anything. He cleared it. Barret flashed him a look which Cloud couldn't tell what it meant. He didn't care. He was just relieved everything was going great so far.

Not long from the Mako Reactor, there was Sector Seven Slums, where there was a bar called 7th Heaven.

A woman stood behind the counter, making drinks.

_So many people here tonight. Rarely is there ever this many. Hell, there is _never _this many. . . _

"Tifa! Tifa! I was just, uh, wondering if I could help you tonight. You seem to have so much on your hands and–"

"Yes, Marlene, you can help. Thank you," Tifa interrupted, handing Marlene one of the drinks she had made. Marlene delivered them with a, "Here you go, enjoy!"

She had some things off her hands, at least. Marlene, well, she was young, around six, but very helpful. Tifa was like a mother to her. Her head kept spinning, thinking of Marlene's dad, Barret. Was everything going okay? Tifa sure hoped so, because as much as she loved Marlene, she still believed Barret needed to spend a lot more time with her. Then again, Marlene made her think of Barret and Barret made her think about Cloud.

_Yeah. . . Haven't seen him forever. I hope he remembers who I am. No, he _will _remember who I am. Cloud. . . Why haven't you come to see me?_

A loud crashing noise interrupted Tifa's thoughts. Just as she figured; another drunk man tumbled off his chair, taking the whole table with him.

"Out!" Tifa demanded to the drunk, pointing to the "exit" door. The man muttered something and stumbled out of the bar. Tifa rolled her eyes and returned to making drinks.

About ten minutes later, most of the men were gone.

_Too drunk, I suppose. Gosh, I love this bar, but _hate _the people who enter it._

"Tifa! Can I help with anything else? Please, oh, please?" Marlene pleaded. Tifa smiled. She shook her head and replied, "Marlene, don't you think you should go to sleep?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head furiously, "not until Daddy gets home."  
"Okay, but if your Daddy yells at me. . ." Tifa warned. Marlene giggled and ran around the bar a few times. Men didn't even seem to notice her.

_Oh, Barret. . . Cloud. . . Hurry back soon._

Cloud followed Barret and Jessie down a long, thick ramp where Jessie stayed behind.

"I'll meet you guys back here," she had said, folding her arms. Cloud stared at her for a moment. She grinned at him.

_His eyes. . . A mark of SOLDIER. . . _

Cloud looked away as Barret climbed down a sturdy cable hanging from above them.

"Come on, Chicken Shit," Barret called up to him. Cloud took hold of the cable and started climbing down. As soon as they got to the bottom, to the left of them was another elevator, which Cloud hoped led them to the Reactor. Barret and Cloud sprinted to it, not wanting to waste any more time than they already had.

"Awright, ready for this?" Barret asked, stopping in front of the elevator. Cloud nodded and they both entered.

Barret leaned against the back of the elevator, his head cocked back. Cloud pushed the button and they were off. It came to a sturdy stop, making Cloud stumble a little. Barret laughed to himself.

"Come on," Barret said, trying to hide his laughter.

In front of them was the Reactor.

_Finally there._

"You know how to do this?" Barret questioned. Cloud gave Barret a thumbs-up and knelt down next to the Reactor. Everything went black for a moment in Cloud's mind. He covered his ears, as is hearing a never-ending screeching noise.

"You okay? Come on, hurry up!"

Cloud pressed a few buttons and turned a few knobs. Finally, an alarm came on.

"Ten minutes and this place is gone," Cloud said, feeling relieved.

"Heads up, Cloud. Here it comes!" Barret shouted facing the elevator. A huge machine came out of nowhere, raging towards them.

"Ah, shit, what now?" Barret asked, taking a few steps back.

"It's a Guard Scorpion," Cloud said, getting into his battle position, "We're going to fight it." Barret aimed his gun arm at the furious Guard Scorpion that got closer, and closer, and—

"Die, goddamnit!" Barret screamed, firing at it. Cloud ran up to it and started slashing the machine back and forth until it finally gave up. Barret and Cloud were out of breath, but they were alive.

"Pretty impressive," Barret complimented. When Cloud was about to say something back to Barret, he remembered that they had set explosives which would explode anytime soon!

"We've got to go, Barret! There's not much time! We've got to get the others!" Cloud shouted.

"They're already on their way. Remember the place Wedge was at? Go there," Barret explained. Cloud didn't respond to his explanation, he just ran to the door. Barret followed.

As soon as they got out of the elevator, Cloud went ahead of Barret and climbed as quickly up the cable as he could. Once he started running towards the other entryway, he heard someone calling for help.

"Cloud! Please help me!" It was Jessie. She was behind him. Cloud rushed to her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"My foot, it-it's stuck!" Jessie replied, tugging at it. Her foot got caught in a little hole which was a lot smaller than her foot.

"On the count of three, we're going to pull as hard as we can. One. . . Two. . . Three!"

Jessie's foot slipped out just like that. She quickly thanked Cloud and ran off to the T-shaped passage. Barret was waiting behind him.

"Come on, Cloud! No time to waist!" Barret explained. Cloud and Barret followed Jessie through the door, which led to slippery floors and stairs.

Cloud sprinted as fast as he could up the steps, tripping and falling a few times.

_Better than being blown up._

Finally they reached the top, where they met Wedge and Biggs, who proceeded through the door. As soon as they had gotten out, there was yet more things to be solved.

Just like before, they had to enter codes to open the doors. Cloud was not patient. He told them to hurry, that they only had about a minute left!

"Code deciphered!" Jessie said, running through the last door.

Now they were in the T-shaped passage. Running as fast as they could, they headed to the opposite end they had entered the first time they were in this area. It was over. The Mako Reactor No.1 was over with.

Right as they got out, the whole place crumpled. No more Mako Reactor. There was a place that needed to be detonated. Jessie was there and she knew exactly what to do.

"Everybody get back!" Jessie announced. The wall blew up, and all of them quickly tumbled out of the blown-up wall before they got caught on fire.

"Hey, man, you did awesome," Biggs complimented, following Jessie. Wedge shook Cloud's hand and was off with the others.

"Welcome to AVALANCHE. What else can I say?" Barret joked, running towards the main street.

Cloud shrugged and took one last look at the burning Reactor, proud of himself that he finally did it.

He was now in the main street, where everyone else ran off to. He saw a few teenagers running away from the Reactor, knocking a young woman on the ground. Cloud jogged over to her to help her up, but she had already recovered. When Cloud was about to walk away she said, "Excuse me," Cloud turned to face her, looking at her right in the eyes. "What happened there?"

"Uh, nothing. Look, you should probably go."

"Wait! Would you like to buy a flower? Only one Gil a piece," she said.

"You're a flower girl, right?" Cloud questioned, picking a flower from her basket. She nodded in return and quickly said, "Yes. Well, I got to go," and she disappeared. Cloud looked around, forgetting about what had just happened.

_This place. . . It used to be peaceful until Shinra—_

"Yo, Cloud! Get moving! We're headed to the train!" Barret called, running through and abandoned store. Cloud followed. He wanted his reward.

He was heading to the train when suddenly, Shinra soldiers came out of nowhere.

"Screw it, I'm not dealin' with you guys!" Cloud said, bringing himself to a side of an old bridge. He heard it. The train speeding under him. As soon as the Shinra got to him, he had already jumped on top of the train, trying hard to keep his balance.

"Looks like he didn't make it," Biggs said, tapping his fingers on his leg. Barret leaned his head back.

"Hope he's okay. . ." Jessie said, worriedly.

"Damn, guys! Cloud ain't dead, got it? He just didn't make it. . ." Barret shouted at them. They were all quiet when a crashing sound came from the side of the train. Suddenly, the train doors opened and Cloud jumped in.

"Hey, man! Thought you wouldn't make it!" Barret exclaimed, jumping up and down. Cloud stared at the ground, taking deep breaths.

"Where's my money?" Cloud asked, trying to catch a breath.

"Wait until we get to hideout. It's not far from here," Barret replied.

"We probably should go to the front of the train, don't you think so?" Wedge asked, changing the subject. Barret nodded and headed for the other part of the train. Wedge and Biggs followed after him, not wanting to get yelled at again.

"I better shut this," Jessie said, slamming the train door shut. She smiled at Cloud, who had black soot all over his face.

"Here, I'll clean this off for you, okay?' Jessie asked. She took her maroon striped handkerchief and wiped his face off quickly.

"There, that's better," she said, following the others and leaving Cloud alone.

_Nice people, I suppose, though that Barret has a bad temper. . ._

Cloud proceeded after them, when the train finally stopped.


	3. Chapter 2

Tifa looked at the time, then at her bar. Marlene was still happily serving drinks to the men and actually got a few tips.

Tifa cleaned her counters, since she had nothing better to do.

Suddenly, a man ran in and scooped Marlene up in his arms.

"Daddy! You're home!" Marlene yelled, hugging him tight.

_Barret Wallace. Back already?_

Barret pushed everybody out, leaving only him, Marlene, and Tifa left in the bar. Tifa couldn't see Cloud, but she saw Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge come in. She ran outside and looked around when Cloud was just walking up the steps. Right when she was going to run in, Cloud grabbed her arm.

"You sick or something, or are you just trying to avoid me?" he asked, making Tifa face him. She didn't answer, instead she stood there speechless. Cloud let go of her arm and walked passed her into her bar. Tifa had just wondered what had happened just then, because right now she didn't know. She followed Cloud into her bar, and once everyone was in, she locked the door behind her.

"Cloud! We're goin' downstairs! Once there, we'll talk about your money, okay?" Barret explained. Cloud nodded as he watched Barret go down a pinball machine/elevator. It was a brilliant idea. Nothing he would ever think of. Jessie, Wedge, and Biggs jumped down after him, not even waiting for the elevator to come back up. As Cloud was about to do the same, Tifa said, "So, you're just going to ignore you're childhood friend?" Cloud took several steps back and sat down on one of the bar stools. He replied, "Sorry. . ."

"Want a drink?" Tifa asked. Cloud answered, "Give me something hard." She quickly mixed something up for him.

"So, did you get along with Barret?" she asked, folding her hands in front of him. Cloud shrugged and said, "I guess." Cloud suddenly remembered the flower he had gotten from the girl on the street. He took it out, which got Tifa's attention.

"Here," Cloud said, looking away as he dropped it in front of him.

"For me? Thank you," Tifa said, placing it in a glass vase, which held at least ten other flowers.

_Seems I'm not the only one who—_

"Cloud, you'd better get downstairs," Tifa explained, taking the glass away from him. He nodded and stood up.

"Yeah. . . Guess I should, huh?" Cloud agreed. He quickly ran to the pinball machine/elevator and jumped down. He saw Marlene sitting on a little round couch, which looked as if it were made of silk. Barret was taking out his anger on a punching bag which was placed in the west corner of the small room they were all in.

"Hey, Barret!" Cloud called. Barret suddenly felt more anger and punched Biggs which sent him flying to the other end of the room. Cloud swallowed and felt sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Your pay, right? I'll meet you back up there in a few minutes," Barret explained. Cloud nodded and quickly emerged back upstairs.

"Back already, are you?" Tifa asked when she saw him.

"Yeah, well, you know..." Cloud said, getting quiet.

Ever since Cloud and Tifa were kids, there was always that awkward silence between them. Cloud didn't really know how to act towards a girl, even now. He really did miss Tifa, he just couldn't find the words to say.

"Hey," Tifa said, breaking the silence, "Do you remember that promise you made to me that night at the well?"

Cloud thought about the past for a moment. Nibelheim. . .Their hometown. It's been so long since he's been there. Then an image of the well placed slightly in the center of the town entered Cloud's thoughts. Yeah. . .It was years ago.

_"Sorry I'm late," Tifa said, coming from the darkness. Cloud looked up at her._

_It was a beautiful night out. You could see the sky perfectly, and it was the perfect temperature. Even though Tifa thought meeting at the well was a little silly, she proceeded with things anyway._

_Tifa made herself comfortable, sitting next to him. She was always shy around him, even though all her friends were boys._

_"I was surprised when you wanted to talk," Tifa said, looking at him._

_"Sorry it was such short notice," he justified, clearing his throat. It was silent for a moment, but then Cloud said, "I actually wanted to talk to you about something."_

_"Oh yeah? What's that?" she questioned, swinging her legs. _

_"I'm leaving Nibelheim this summer," he stood up and faced her, "I want to join SOLDIER ." She looked up at him and smiled._

_"Like the Great Sephiroth?" she asked. Cloud looked up at the sky and quietly replied, "Yeah. Like Sephiroth." He walked around the well for a moment, and then stopped, looking down at Tifa._

_"Do you think I could do it?" he asked. Tifa stood up and brushed her dress off._

_"I know for a fact you could," she replied. She hesitated for a moment, and then said, "So. . . This means I probably won't see you for a long time." _

_Cloud never thought about that. For some reason, not coming back hadn't crossed his mind._

_"You could read about me in the newspaper," he replied. Her face lit up._

_"You really think so!" she said happily, grinning._

_"Well, I'll try," Cloud said shrugging. Tifa sat down again, staring up at the bright stars. Then, she had this crazy proposal she wanted to ask him._

_"Promise me something," she said, not taking her eyes off of the stars._

_"What?" Cloud said, sitting down next to her again. _

_"If I'm ever in a bind, promise me that you'll come and save me," she quietly implied. Cloud looked confused._

_"What?" Cloud asked, laughing._

_"I'm serious! I want you to be my hero someday, and I want my hero to come and save me when I'm in trouble," Tifa explained. _

_"Fine," he said, giving up._

_"Really?" she said, looking over at him. He shrugged and looked back at her._

_"I promise."_

_After he promised her, a shooting star flew across the beautiful night sky, making it the most memorable night of Tifa's life. _

"Now do you remember?" she asked, sitting down at the table next to him. He stood up, his back facing her.

"Ah, Tifa, you know I can't keep that promise," he said. She sighed, but she wasn't giving up on him yet.

"You _have _to. Do you have any idea how much it means to me?" she asked, almost yelling at him. She stopped herself and realized that he _wasn't _the same Cloud that he was that night. He was different. Grown up. They were _both _grown up, and she knew she had to face reality. Maybe the promise was dumb and naive, a childish promise, maybe, but it meant the world to her knowing he'd always be there for her.

Cloud faced her now. He could see the hurt in her eyes, the same hurt he saw in her eyes when he left Nibelheim. He let out a deep sigh.

"I don't know if I can anymore, Tifa. I really don't know," he replied with honesty in his voice.

Just then, Barret came up the elevator, looking first at Cloud, and then at Tifa. He could sense that some sort of argument had been going on, but for once, he stayed out of it.

"Here you go," he said, handing him a bag full of Gil, "A promise is a promise." Cloud thanked Barret quite quickly, and started to head towards the elevator. He was exhausted and wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone.

"Be up early tomorrow. We got another job," Barret called after him. Cloud stopped in his tracks.

"Wait, what?" he said, looking at Barret.

"Another Reactor," Barret answered. Cloud shook his head and said, "No, no, _no_ way am I doing that again. I got what I wanted, and I'm leaving Midgar tomorrow once and for all." Tifa crossed her arms and said under her breath, "Oh, I see how it is." Cloud looked at her with sorry eyes.

"I'll pay ya double this time," Barret said. Cloud glared at him, "Triple, and you've got a deal." Barret sighed and replied, "Ah, Man, I need that money for Marlene's schoolin'! Double is my final offer." Cloud thought about it. He did need the money.

"Deal," he said. Tifa grinned.

"Thank you, Cloud. We really need the help," she said, walking passed him.

"No problem," he replied, looking straight at Barret. Barret rolled his eyes and said, "Well get to bed! We need the rest. It's been a _long _day!"

Cloud nodded.

_Yeah, it has. Barret, you owe me big time._

By mid morning, things went as planned. Cloud didn't sleep much, since he had reoccurring nightmares. The funny thing was that when he had awaken, he could never remember what he dreamt about.

"How did you sleep?" Tifa asked Cloud, as he came up the elevator. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. Then he smiled.

"Next to you, who wouldn't?" he joked. Tifa lowered her eyebrows and replied, "I don't know what you mean. . ."

"Top the mornin' to ya! You ready for this mission, Cloud?" Barret asked, appearing from nowhere with Marlene on his shoulder.

Barret was a broad, dark man made of mostly muscle. His right arm was replaced with a firearm because of something that happened in the past, but Barret never talks about it. Everyone is afraid to even dare ask him, because a man of his size could squish anyone. Plus, with his bad temper, no one could really ask him _anything_.

"Yeah, I guess," Cloud replied, not so enthusiastic. Barret rolled his eyes at him and said, "Aighty! Let's get a move on! Biggs! Jessie! Wedge! Time to go!"

Everyone immediately ran out the bar door, and it was only Barret, Tifa, and Cloud left. Barret carefully set Marlene down on the floor, and Tifa knelt down to her height and asked, "Marlene, do you think you could look after the place while we're gone?"

"Wait, what? _You're _coming?" Cloud asked, confused. Tifa raised her eyebrows and replied in an annoyed voice, "What? Do you have a problem with me going?"

Cloud's face immediately got red.

"No. . . I just think it's dangerous," Cloud said, looking away. Tifa sighed and turned to Marlene again.

"Do you think you could watch the place while I'm gone, Sweetie?" Tifa repeated. Marelene nodded, but had a saddened look upon her face.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," she said, looking up at Tifa. Tifa smiled sadly and replied, "Don't worry, Honey, we'll be back soon. I promise."

As they all left the bar, Tifa heard snickers and whispers b ehind her on her way out.

"I'm leavin'," a drunk man said, getting out of his seat, "Hey, you, Tifa's Childhood Friend!"

Cloud turned around, facing the stumbling drunk man.

"You better take good care of Tifa, y-ya hear?" he asked, trying to stand still. Cloud exchanged glances with Tifa, and then he said, "Of course," and they were off.

On the way, it was very quiet between the three of them. Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge were already at the train station, and Cloud, Tifa, and Barret were following slowly behind.

Tifa, with her long, flowing, dark brown hair, was ahead of them. Barret and Cloud must have still been exhausted from the mission before, but Tifa didn't sympathize them.

When they got to the station, there was a couple barely breathing at the lampost. Tifa quickly ran over to them to see what was wrong.

"I've had it!" the women said, in almost a mumble.

"Same here," her husband said, closing his eyes. The women opened her eyes eagerly, and sat up, looking at him.

"You know, this is actually the first time we've agreed on something," she said.

"Hey, are you guys okay?" Tifa asked, kneeling down by them. The women looked at her like she was crazy.

"Of course we're okay! Just. . .tired," she said, laying down and closing her eyes again.

"Yeah. . .tired. . ." the man said. Suddenly, they were both sleeping. Tifa had no idea what was going on, but she never liked to butt into someone's personal lives, so, she stood up and walked towards the train, where Barret and Cloud were patiently waiting.

The porter at the train station eyed Cloud, and lowered his eyebrows.

"Good Mornin'," he lets out a deep sigh and continues, "Things never change around here. Now, you three don't get hurt! Come on again, ya hear?"

Cloud and everyone said, "Yeah, sure," and went aboard the train.

"ALL ABOARD! This train is now about to depart!" the porter called out. Tifa looked back at Sector 7 Slums, and this strange feeling something would go wrong, but she had to ignore it. She was on a mission, a mission to save the planet.


End file.
